Dog Attacks Deer on Tonawanda Golf Course + May Be Charged

There was a situation on the Sheridan Park Golf Course (which isn't open yet by the way) a couple of weeks ago where an unleashed dog caused an unpleasant scene when it attacked a deer on the course.

Now, the situation is under investigation by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. According to the Buffalo News:, the officer had to put the deer down after finding it extremely wounded.

Officer Frank Bartolotta found a witness who said he used a broom to pry off a dog that had its teeth clenched into the deer's hind leg, according to a town police report. This witness said he was driving by the golf course, which hasn't opened for the 2019 season, when he saw the dog biting the deer.

Bartolotta also talked to the owner of the dog, which had blood on its snout, neck and chest. A copy of the police report redacted the name, age and address of the dog owner.

There was a considerable amount of blood in the area, and Bartolotta walked about 1,000 feet to find the deer lying on the ground, along with more blood and fur in the grass.

The dog was apparently a hunting dog and the owner claims that he never thought the dog would run after the deer because it was so far away. The owners was not ticketed and instead the DEC may be up to ticket the owner for violating the law "to run at large in fields or woods inhabited by deer outside the limits of any city or village."

It's a deer. I know that this is not a rabbit it attacked, which would seem more common, but would it be an issue if a dog killed and brought home a rabbit? Maybe I'm not even comparing 'apples to apples'. What do you think? Should the owner be getting in trouble?